1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatically locking slider for slide fasteners.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,928 issued Feb. 20, 1978 discloses an automatically locking slider for slide fasteners in which a locking member comprises a piece of resilient strip, usually made of steel. The locking member has at one end a locking prong and at the other end an anchoring portion. The anchoring portion extends into a clamping groove in a slider's neck and terminates in a laterally recessed end which is retained by a pair of clamping lugs, one on each sidewall of the groove. This retaining is accomplished by bending or otherwise deforming the lugs together with part of the sidewalls around the recessed end. A problem experienced with the prior slider is that a coating of the slider body is apt to easily come off during the bending or deforming operation, making the slider defective from an aesthetic view and leading to increased rate of corrosion as well. Coating or plating of the slider after assembling would adhere the locking member locally to the slider body, hindering smooth pivotal movement of the locking member.